From a Certain Point of View
by LASOS
Summary: A look at the Han/Leia relationship in various points of time...from a certain point of view. Well, certain points of view Rated T for mild language.
1. Lucky Bastard

**Lucky Bastard**

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Summary: A look at our favorite couple...from a certain point of view.

A/N: Written in basic because I don't speak Hutt. "Look Jabba, even I get boarded sometimes." That's what she said.

"_I want you on my team; So does everybody else"_

Nelly Furtado and Timbaland, "Promiscuous"

--

Sometimes, I just sit and stare at you, my work of art. It's particularly pleasing to see you through a spice-induced haze in the mid afternoon because the light hits you just right and the lines of agony on your face seem to dance. Boba Fett told me that you're hibernating, but I hope you feel every second of it. I hope you can't breathe, I hope you want to move and are mentally anguished every time you try. Double-crossing son of a bantha.

My boy, you used to be so good at what you did for me. A little sabacc-happy, maybe, and sometimes you would be a few credits short of what you owed, but you always managed to come up with it. I trusted you with my most precious shipments because you were the best damn pilot I had and you always had a knack for getting out of tight spots. You're just a lucky, lucky bastard.

Well, you were. Not anymore. Hot streaks run out, Solo. No one crosses me. No one goes three years without a word after dumping my shipment and losing me thousands of credits. I heard the rumors. That you'd gone and gotten these delusions of grandeur, that you were aiding that damn Rebellion in some hopeless, idealistic cause. That you were cavorting with some _princess_. Well, I hope you enjoyed your running around, my boy, because you're finished. You're never getting out of there.

I hope carbon freeze hurts like hell.

--

My boy, I should have known. There's been a price on your Wookie's head for years and no one has been able to get to him. That furry beast won't come easy and yet somehow this tiny little bounty hunter I've never seen or heard of before got the giant thing to come quietly. Your best friend was almost submissive. Wookies aren't known for their willingness to submit. That should have been a clue. But I have to admit, my boy, that my judgement was a little clouded by that thermal detonator. What a bold negotiation technique. I was impressed by this tiny little bounty hunter.

You know, Han, I had clues even before Chewbacca came in. The gift of those droids, the message from that Skywalker-whoever. The new guard I hired a few months back that never, ever says anything. Solo, you have a great ability to make enemies, but you also have a great ability to make friends when you want. I wonder if maybe you'd decided you were tired of being a loner. Maybe you were with them because you thought they had things you needed. Maybe you, you damn smuggler, have developed a conscience. Whatever the case, the friends you've made are loyal to the end. And foolish to the end. Like I said, no one crosses me.

It was the loud crashing noise of you, my frozen work of art, being released from the wall and falling to the ground that woke me up. I saw some of my men begin to move towards the source, but I motioned for them to shut up and just watch. Han, you and your friends won't get far. That tiny bounty hunter has released you, my prized possession, from the carbon shell and is whispering to you in that raspy language that I don't understand. Solo, you seem so confused when you ask the hunter who he is.

Oh, this is too good.

The bounty hunter takes off his mask, revealing that he is not a he at all but perhaps one of the most beautiful human women I've ever seen. "Someone who loves you," she says, and you say her name. "Leia." Leia. Pretty name. Familiar. Is that your princess? But certainly a princess wouldn't be seen in a place like this... And then you kiss. How sweet. Look at you, Solo, you lucky bastard. A pretty girl has risked all this to come to your rescue.

I hope you enjoyed it. That's the last time you'll ever get to touch her.

After the guards carry you off, I get to have a better look at your girl. She is very pretty, my boy, but she's not like any of the other girls I've seen you with in the past. They were all pinup-type girls, the ones you see in the dirty holoreels wearing little to nothing. All beauty but no brains. You never stayed with them long. And you never kissed any of them in front of me, either. I don't think you ever cared about any of them. But this girl's different. This Leia. Oh, you care about this Leia. Ha. This is tasty. Your girl Leia is something else, Han. She's short and she's not blonde and she's one of the feistiest little things I've ever seen. She gives me a look that would probably kill a lesser man on the spot. It's sexy. And when they bring her out in her newest getup I see that she's got a body like nobody else. Look at those legs! I know you'd love to see this.

Damn, Han, my boy, you lucked out with this one.

--

Han, have I told you that you're one lucky bastard? Because you are. Even though it angers the hell out of me, I have to admit I'm impressed at how loyal your friends are to you. And how determined they are to get you out of here. Your Jedi pal even killed my favorite pet, that son of a bantha. He's an idiot for doing it, but you have to admit that the kid's got guts. Will you tell him to shut up, Han? He keeps telling me that I need to bargain with him. You tell him, my boy, that I don't bargain with anyone. You hear me? Especially after they've gone and tried to pull one over on me like you have. You were a great pirate, but now you're finished. And so are your buddies.

But I'm keeping your little girlfriend. She's cute.

Speaking of your little girlfriend, I wonder how you put up with her. You've always liked trouble, but never with your women. I always thought of you as the kind of guy who, if he ever settled down, or lived to settle down, would make his wife stay at home and do the cooking. This Leia of yours, my boy, is not that kind of girl. I can tell that much just by looking at her. She's got little scars all over her body. Where d'ya suppose those came from, huh buddy? Does she like it a little rough in the bedroom? And I can tell that she's strong, too. Sure, she looks like you could snap her in half, but the smart girls won't let you get close enough to try. She's a smart broad.

And I can tell that she loves you, my boy, loves you more than I think she wants to admit. You couldn't see her, too bad for you, because I think you'd like it, but she watched you the whole time. She didn't look at that Jedi or your Wookie friend. She watched you. And as we made our way to the Sarlacc, she went to the windows and watched you then, too. It was like she was trying to be as close to you as possible. It was touching.

You're a lucky bastard, my boy. Your pretty little thing will go to the end of the earth to bring you back to her. She's a princess, for crying out loud, and you've managed to get her running around dressed up like bounty hunter scum on a dirty desert planet. How'd you do it, my boy? How'd you get this power over her? And she's so young, too. She's got to be, what, no less than eight years younger than you are, my boy. You sly nerfherder. Cradle robbing a princess. Making her fall in love with you like she is. Are you in love with her, too, or is the conquest just thrilling? If you're not, Han, you should be after what she's done for you.

Not that you'll be around to tell her.

I don't like strong women, my boy, and even though your little girl is nice on the eyes, she's big trouble. And she's quick. Did she know this was going to happen? As soon as your Jedi friend got his lightsaber from gods know where and folks started running around like banthas with their heads cut off, your girl was taking something heavy to the light controls of my sailbarge. The nerve of her, Han. She managed to shut all the windows so I could barely see her or anything else that was going on in the ship. I yelled for help, but everyone was too preoccupied with you and your friends on the dinghy to look. You girl is strong, my boy, and she's resourceful. She's wrapped the chain to which she is tethered around my neck and started to pull with every ounce in her tiny self. What an ironic twist, strangling with the very chain that held her to me. She's so strong, my boy. It's got to take a lot of strength to pull that thing around my thick neck. She's a good one, Han. You'd better hang on to her.

Dammit, Solo, you are one lucky bastard.

--


	2. Distraction

**Distraction**

Disclaimer: It's against the Honor Code to steal. So I'm just borrowing.

A/N: "Luke, at that speed do you think you'll be able to pull out in time?"

That's what she said.

Summary: A look at the Han/Leia relationship through the eyes of Mon Mothma.

"_This is a list of the things that I should have been but I'm not..."_

Counting Crows, "Cowboys"

--

If there is one thing that political figureheads should never do, it is fall in love. Politicians, true politicians, especially those in charge of military operations crucial to the preservation of democracy, should never have time for love or attraction or lust or the things that come along with it. It isn't wise to devote time that could be spent planning military strategy or persuading small worlds to donate soldiers and supplies to the cause with a person that offers little more than companionship. Politics makes no time for matters of the heart, and only the best leaders ever realize that love is a trivial emotion to which no precious time should ever be devoted. Love is a distraction.

If there is one thing princesses should never do, it is fall in love with someone below their status. Princess is a political title and is therefore a political job. Part of that job is marrying within the same status in order to consolidate influence, wealth, and power into one family. A princess' marriage should always be a political union. The children's stories let little girls get it into their minds that princesses and knights get to live happily ever after, but they lie. A princess' position leaves her little time for matters of the heart, and therefore love is something that is better off left alone.

If there is one thing that you, Leia Organa, should never do, it is fall in love with Han Solo. To do so would be a slap in the face to everything for which you have worked all your life. But you did. You were weak-minded and easily persuaded and found yourself wrapped around the idea of being with that former smuggler for reasons I've yet to understand. Yes, he's a valuable asset to the Alliance. He's an excellent pilot and a good General and a loyal friend. And he has proven crucial to your safe return to us again and again. But he is not what one might deem an appropriate suitor for a woman of your stature and obligation.

Sometimes, I wonder how you could have possibly fallen in love with such a man. You've told me yourself on more than one occasion that you find him insufferable. You and he bicker constantly, and he refuses to treat you as a superior. I find myself horrified by such behavior. The innuendo that he throws your way, in public nonetheless! I don't think that Bail Organa would have taken so kindly to a man treating his daughter as such. And yet you tolerate it; I daresay you enjoy it. You do not miss a beat in your banter and you have never once not volunteered yourself for a mission on which we were sending him.

General Rieekan tells me my views are cynical, Leia, and that you are perfectly capable of loving a man and maintaining your responsibilities to the Alliance. He tells me that you're not actually in love with a man very far below your own status since he accepted the commission as General. He tells me that it may be politically advantageous to have two important figureheads united as one. He tells me that Bail would have found the General to be charming because he makes you smile in such a way that nothing else can. And he tells me, Leia, that General Solo makes you happy, and that we should never begrudge you even the slightest semblance of joy, particularly considering everything you've lost.

But I disagree. You went soft for the Rebellion when you went soft for the General. Do you see what has happened to you since you fell for this unworthy chap, Leia? Your absence after the battle of Hoth was perhaps unavoidable, and I suppose I should at some point thank General Solo for successfully removing you from what was at best a hopeless situation. But after you and Commander Skywalker returned to the Alliance, tortured and exhausted and without General Solo, a marked change came over your demeanor. You shirked your responsibilities as political figurehead and instead escaped to some distant world, out of contact, placing your love for the General over your duty to the Rebellion. You were out of contact for weeks, Leia, at a time when we were learning crucial data about the Empire and planning our next move. Before you left you told me that the General was vital to the survival of the Alliance and you had to ensure his safe return, but what of you, Leia? Are you not also vital, even more vital than General Solo, to our continued success? You are a leader, Leia, and you cannot forget that. You cannot find the General a distraction from what you must be doing.

You volunteered yourself to go with General Solo's strike team down to Endor on the near-suicidal mission to disable the shield generator protecting the Second Death Star. I pulled you aside and questioned you about such a rash decision.

"Leia, do you think it's wise to embark on such a dangerous mission?"

You were stubborn, almost appalled that I might be suggesting that your life was more important than General Solo's or Commander Skywalker's.

"I don't believe that it's wise for any of us to be going, but we have to do this if we have any hope at ever bringing down the Empire."

"What of your responsibilities to the Rebellion, Princess? I think you should remain somewhere that is protected."

"With due respect, Mon, I don't believe it is my responsibility to hide away while our men are sent out to die for our cause."

I tried to make you see, Leia, that your judgement was clouded, that you should never, ever get near the forest moon.

"Do you think your feelings for General Solo might be affecting your decision at all?"

You have a knack for giving scathing looks, and title or rank mean little when someone has crossed you.

"My decision would be the same with or without the General's involvement."

With that, you wheeled away from me before you could give me the chance to see that you were lying.

And, Leia, perhaps we were successful and perhaps you and the strike team did manage to deactivate the shield generator and perhaps we were able to destroy that massive and unholy weapon. But you were shot, if you recall. Shot while you were protecting General Solo. You were shot in the arm but it could have just as easily been your chest or your head and then where would we be? You took a great risk and came too close to being killed and you did it not for the Rebellion but for the General. You cannot, will not, tell me that your feelings for him do not affect your actions.

Do you see what he is, Leia? Or, more importantly, do you see what he is not? He is not helping you serve the Alliance to the fullest of your potential. He is not someone of status and wealth, he is not your equal. You were not born into the luxury of a children's tale, Leia, you were born to be a leader, and General Solo does nothing to further this all-to-important obligation you must fulfill. And what's more, Leia, he's simply not good enough for you. He is a pirate, you are a princess, and whatever love you may share will never be enough to excuse this fact.

Here we are, now, where we so desperately wanted to be. The Empire is falling, the New Republic is being established, democracy has been restored to the galaxy. We are on the verge of establishing the new government in Coruscant and you are slated to be one of the founding members, a crucial figure. Leia, your importance here cannot be understated and you owe it nothing but your full and undivided self. And yet I hear rumors, whispers among leaders and soldiers and civilians alike. That the General is going to propose to you, that you might actually _marry _him. And I've heard the word children. You may waste your time on love, Leia, but certainly you would never waste your time on children. There are others that have the ability to procreate, but that is not something in which you should be interested. The very thought of you becoming a mother...well, that would be a death sentence to your time as leader. Your strengths do not lie with family, Leia, they lie with the Alliance. We are your family and you will one day be its matriarch. Leave such trivial matters for those with fewer responsibilities.

I pull you aside after a lengthy meeting concerning the establishment of the New Republic Senate. I have to try again, to make you see that marrying a scoundrel would be career suicide. I have to make you see that the Alliance needs you more than General Solo ever could. Perhaps it is unfair to you, Leia. You are a beautiful young woman and you have suffered so much heartache. When you returned from the first Death Star after General Solo and Commander Skywalker rescued you from the clutches of Lord Vader, I saw so much sadness in your beautiful eyes. You tried so hard to hide your anguish at the destruction of your home and your family and your attempts were admirable, but you never could erase the aching of your soul that burned behind your brown eyes. And then your relationship with General Solo progressed and the sadness in your eyes was slowly replaced with a glimmer of hope and then an explosion of joy. Your eyes are always smiling now and the ever-present tension in your body seems to have relaxed in love. I am grateful to the General for allowing you to experience such relief.

But I still must make you see that you cannot love him any longer.

"Princess Leia, I was wondering if you could stay for a moment."

You smile at General Solo, who is helping you gather your datapad and flimsies. He places a hand on your head, and then traces the long, soft braid that falls over your left shoulder. His green eyes mirror the happiness in your brown eyes; they have for some time. You told me once that he was a mercenary that cared for nothing but money. Leia, it is clear that you have softened his heart.

"Go on," you tell him. "Don't forget that we're meeting Luke, Chewie, and Lando at Cycene Fergus for dinner."

You watch him as he walks out of the conference hall. Have you become so dependent in your love that you must follow his every movement? You were once so strong.

"Princess Leia, I was wondering if we could discuss something of some importance."

"Of course," you tell me, sitting back down at the table. "What is it?"

"I have heard rumors floating about the city about your relationship with General Solo. That it is getting serious. I was wondering if this is true."

You raise an eyebrow in suspicion, but choose to be careful in your response.

"General Solo and I are very close, but I don't believe that the nature of our relationship concerns anyone but the two of us."

"It should be so. But, Leia, I'm sure you know that as a public figure, your private life will never truly be private."

"Is this what was so important?" You're losing your patience, but you are excellent at not letting me see.

"I was wondering, Leia, if you had considered what a poor decision you have made in choosing to fall in love as opposed to devoting more time to the Alliance."

You give me a look that would be cold even on Hoth.

"Mon, are you suggesting that I end my relationship with General Solo?"

I'm leveling with you, Leia, I am.

"I think that it is wise, considering your role in the New Republic, that you spend more time devoted to leadership. If your relationship with the General is hindering your ability to perform your duties as necessary--"

You cut me off. I've never known you to do that.

"My relationship with General Solo has _never_ interfered with my ability to lead the Alliance." It is a level reply, but I can see the anger beginning to radiate in your eyes. Your eyes really are too telling, Leia. You would never be good at sabacc.

"But if it progresses and you start a family with him, I would assume that your family would come first and this role that your father asked you to fulfill would come in a distant second."

It was a cheap shot, I know, bringing Bail into the equation. I can tell that it made you even angrier. You stand up, imposing even at your short height. You are finished with this conversation. You collect your datapad and whirl around to leave the room, sending your white robes into a flutter with your quick action. Then you stop, turn back at me, and look me squarely in the eye. You are not backing down, and the low, quiet tone of your voice is almost dangerous. I will think twice before broaching this subject again.

"I have given _everything_ to this war. You will not take away the one thing it has given back."


	3. Broken

**Broken**

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

A/N: "A back door, huh? Good idea." That's what she said.

Summary: General Rieekan, because I think he's a really great man.

"_I feel the words unspoken inside; Well they pull you under; And I would give you anything you wanted..."_

Remy Zero, "Save Me"

--

The day Bail Organa called me into his office and told me that you were joining the Rebellion is the day that I began to look at you in a different light. You became something more than just my good friend's daughter. You became my charge, my own little girl. Bail never worried much about your safety on missions because he believed you were a capable young lady and able to handle yourself in any situation. I, on the other hand, was the worrier. I waited in anticipation every time you went off on a mission, said a quiet prayer to the Maker that you would return home safely. When the report came that your ship had been captured by an Imperial Star Destroyer, I had to excuse myself from the meeting I was running because I needed a moment to collect my thoughts, fight back a tear that threatened to fall at the mere thought of your demise. And when I heard of Alderaan, my heart sank. If you had been taken aboard the Death Star, Leia, I knew that they would have kept you alive long enough to torture you, to force you to watch our home and our families and our friends be blown into the vast expanses of space. But after that, after they made you watch, your fate aboard the battle station was anyone's guess.

You're my baby girl, Leia, a sentiment that has intensified in the few short years since Bail's death. You'd lost your father whom you loved so much and I saw myself, still see myself, as the last connection that you have with your family...and you are the last connection I have with mine. I've never been so happy to see you as I was after you were returned to us by Commander Skywalker and Captain Solo. I had never been so scared for you, so convinced that you were long dead. And then there you were, smiling, triumphant at your escape and the successful delivery of the plans to the Death Star. You put on a brave face, Little One, but I know you well enough to know that you would not move on from the loss of Alderaan for a very, very long time. You came to me so often when you were missing Bail, and I would let you sit and cry silently in my office, forever your safe haven away from this ugly war. Do you let anyone else see you cry, Leia? Perhaps now your two dear friends, the Commander and the Captain, have seen you shed a tear, perhaps now you trust them enough to let the tiny cracks in your armor show, but I know that you will allow no one else in this Rebellion see you at such a vulnerable moment.

I know how much you love him, Little One.

It hurts me to see you now. I did not fear for you when Captain Solo's voice crackled over the comm during our desperate escape from Hoth and he told me he would be taking you to the rendezvous point. I began to worry only after you and he had been out of contact for six weeks. With each passing day we heard nothing from the _Millennium Falcon _and its crew, my heart sank deeper and deeper, again fearing the worst about your fate. But still I had faith in your friend, the Captain. There is not a member in this Alliance, save maybe myself, that I would trust more with your care. I was not worried, you see, when he told me that he would get you out of the base himself, because Captain Solo is in love with you. And men in love are not quick to let the objects of their affection befall even the slightest bit of harm.

Leia, you and the good Captain may fight, may put on a big show for the rest of us, but it is painfully obvious to everyone how much you two care for one another. I'm not sure when it started. Maybe it was an instant attraction to his gruff demeanor as he piloted you away from that evil battle station. Maybe you fell for him when he came back and helped Commander Skywalker; I wonder if maybe he came back for you. Whenever it happened, Leia, it was not long after you met him. Somewhere between the missions on which you were assigned and the quick escapes from various bases and your heated banter, you found in each other something pure and true and rare, something of which you should never let go.

(I'll admit it, Little One. I had a hand in some of your assignments with him. What can I say? Bail would like him.)

Do you know how much he cares for you, Leia? He knows about your nightmares, how you hate to go to sleep because your dreams are so haunted by your guilt over Alderaan. I guess maybe he heard you once on some mission or another when you slept restlessly on the _Falcon. _However he found out, he knows that the nights are your least favorite. You may sleep little, but he sleeps less. I ran into him one evening when we first made base on Hoth, walking slowly past your quarters long after you had gone to sleep. I told him that he should be doing the same and he tried to come up with some excuse about making repairs to the ship, but after a few moments of fumbling his words, the normally quick-witted Captain pushed a hand through his hair and admitted to keeping watch over your quarters at night. He assured me that he never, ever went into your room, but his conscience wouldn't let him sleep knowing that your own rest was so troubled.

He shrugged. "I just want her to know that she's not alone."

It was a rare moment of vulnerability for your Captain. And it was perhaps one of the most touching things I've ever heard. The next morning I rearranged the cabin assignments so his quarters shared a wall with yours. I know you've always wondered why I did that. I just hoped that being closer to you would help him get a little more rest himself. He's a great pilot, you know, but great pilots cannot remain so on zero sleep.

I watched you grow up, Leia. I met you when you were still a tiny baby, your father's pride and joy. The fact that you were not of Bail's own flesh and blood meant nothing to him. You were the love of his life. He thought of you as an Organa in every sense of the word. He was so proud of you when you decided to take up the cause of the Rebellion, and told me he did not worry for your safety because you had an indomitable spirit, you were a fighter. And he added with a small smile that he knew that you would be looked out after, protected even though he was sure you didn't need it. And, Leia, I think you found your protector in Captain Solo. I tried to be and I failed the moment your ship came under Imperial control. But Captain Solo, thank the Maker, was there to make up for my own failures. He's not been far from your sight since the day you met on the Death Star, even when your fights escalated to the point of stony silence between the two of you. I know how he feels, Little One. I used to pull girls' braids when I was younger. He provokes you to glean a response, because he knows that getting a rise out of you is better than no attention at all. And I know you, Leia. You pretend to be annoyed but you're secretly flattered by his subtle advances. He treats you like a woman, not like a leader, an untouchable.

I can see that your heart is broken, Little One. It's killing me.

You refused to see anyone when the _Falcon _first docked with the medical brigade, sorely missing its captain. You wanted only to stay with Luke, to ensure that his hand was repaired well, and to ensure that Chewbacca and our newest ally, Calrissian, had enough supplies for the journey on which they were about to embark. Mon was frustrated that you had been out of contact for so long and refused to speak to any of us once you returned, but I reminded her, gently, that something horrible had happened to all of you in your absence and that you would only talk when you were good and ready.

I omitted the fact that you're in love with Captain Solo. I don't think she'd take to kindly to that idea. I'm sure she'd ramble on about how Rebel leaders don't have time for trivial matters like love.

For such a smart woman, she can be so clueless at times.

It is late when I hear the quiet, hesitant rapping of fingernails against my office door. I don't need to comm to know that it is you; after all, you and I are probably the only two members of this Rebellion that require such little sleep. I press the button on my desk and the door slides open. You hesitate for a moment before deciding to enter the room and narrowly escape having the white hem of your dress caught up in the closing door. I nod to the chair closest to the desk, but you choose the couch at the far end of the room, perhaps not quite ready to face me entirely. I hope that you don't think I'm angry with you, because I'm not. The circumstances of your absence were entirely beyond your control and no one can be faulted for that, least of all you. So talk to me, Little One, and tell me what has happened to your dear captain.

Reluctantly, your eyes catch my gaze, and that is all it takes to start the flow of your tears. You bury your head in your hands and a sob catches in your throat.

"Carlist-" you manage, and immediately I am across the room, putting a protective arm around your shoulders as I saw Bail do once. I wish I could take this pain away from you, Little One. I wish I could bring Captain Solo back. He made you happy, and you so desperately deserve to be happy, but here you are again, crushed once more under the weight of loss.

"It was my fault, Carlist. He wanted to make sure I made it to my transport and we got trapped and all he was trying to do was get me to the rendezvous point and...it's all my fault."

I squeeze your arm a little, trying to show you that none of this is your fault.

"Shh, Leia. It's not."

"He could be dead now, for all I know. He wasn't excited about going to pay Jabba in the first place. He said something about how he wouldn't be easily forgiven."

You shudder a little against the thought of Captain Solo's fate, trying so hard to calm the tears still flowing from your eyes.

"When did you fall in love with him?"

For the first time since you began to cry, you look at me, wide-eyed, shocked that I know such intimate details about your life. I can't help but smile a little at your surprise.

"I just had a feeling," I tell you. Perhaps now is not the time to inform you that neither you nor the captain have been able to hide your feelings very well.

You bite your lower lip as you contemplate the answer to my question.

"After Yavin, I think. When he came back to help Luke." You give me an imploring look, as if you're trying to convince me that the captain is a good man. You don't have to convince me, Leia. I already knew. "He's not just a mercenary."

I nod and ask you if you'll tell me what happened on Bespin. Your sentences are mumbled, choppy, but I get the idea. Broken ship, Captain Solo's friend, followed by a bounty hunter, Vader. Vader explains everything. You've been tortured by him before, but being forced to watch him torture the captain was worse. And then finally you trail off after describing finding Luke hanging from an antenna beneath the city, because I already know that the story ends with your arrival at the rendezvous point. You're quiet for a long while, your tears finally dry but your memories still painfully fresh and your longing for the captain taking a tight hold on your heart.

"Maybe you should go look for him," I suggest to you after an extended silence. I again get another surprised look from you.

"Carlist, I don't think I can do that. What about the Alliance? I have a job to do here. And I've already been gone for so long..."

"Leia, how well are you going to be able to lead a war effort if your mind is always with Captain Solo?"

Silence again. You're contemplating my question, and I can't tell if you're offended at my suggestion that the captain occupies your thoughts or reluctantly agreeing that perhaps your work will not be best done with us now. I decide to speak again instead of waiting for you to come up with a diplomatic answer.

"Besides, we need him. He's a great asset to the Alliance, and if you believe that he could be returned to us safely we would be crazy not to dispatch a rescue effort. The Empire is building a new Death Star and we need his skills if we have any hope of bringing it down."

You nod, not sure what to say.

"What about Mon? I heard that she wasn't pleased that I was gone-"

"I'm sorry you had to hear that," I interrupt. Who has seen you to tell you the rumors? Probably Antilles. "But I will explain to her that it is necessary to the survival of the Rebellion that Captain Solo be found alive. You and Commander Skywalker could go."

Finally, I get a little smile out of you.

"Carlist, I have to tell you something. I was planning on leaving, anyway. Luke and I are meeting Chewie and Lando on Tatooine in a few weeks, with or without the Alliance's permission."

I smile in return. Please, Leia. You think I don't know you at all.

"I assumed as much."

A broader smile, this time, as you move to hug me and then stand up to leave. I stand up as well and put a hand on your arm.

"He's alive, Leia. I know that you'll get him back. But for now, you need rest."

"You too," you say, smile all but faded, just a hint of a shadow remaining on your pretty face.

As you turn to leave, I decide to add one last thing. You stop at the door at the sound of my voice.

"I like him a lot, Leia. Bail would have liked him, too."

You don't turn to look at me, but you do nod your head slightly in acknowledgement and perhaps gratitude as the door slides open.

"Thank you, Carlist."


End file.
